DARPA unveils new telescope to protect satellites from space debris
20 replies, posted
[quote=PhysOrg]
(PhysOrg.com) -- The U.S. Defense Department’s, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in conjunction with the U.S. Air Force (and many unknown contractors of course) has announced the addition of a new telescope which it intends to add to the Air Force’s existing Space Surveillance Network (SSN); dubbed the Space Surveillance Telescope (SST), it will be capable of scanning the skies faster than other existing telescope of its size and will be able to collect data faster for dimmer objects to boot. The new telescope’s main mission is to track space debris to help in collision avoidance with the many sensitive satellites now circling the Earth.
Nine years in development, and with a price tag of $110 million, the new telescope will likely become ever more crucial as more and more space debris accumulates in orbit around the Earth as older satellites go off-line and new satellites are launched. The primary area of concern will be objects in geosynchronous orbit, (those traveling at speeds to match the Earth’s rotation so as to appear to hover in one place over the planet) as that’s where the military stations most of its spy satellites.
To achieve these new feats, engineers at MIT’s aerospace division, used a 3.5-meter aperture that connects to a curved charge-coupled device capable of capturing photons and turning them into electrons, which can then be digitally processed to produce the desired images. This technology allowed for an aperture that is more than three times the size of normal ground based telescopes and gives the telescope the ability to grab wide angle shots of the night sky, rather than the pin-point view that has been available up to now. Coupling that with a frame that allows the telescope to move quickly in its base, the SST is expected to give the Air Force a very precise view of where space debris is located, and where it’s going, giving satellite operators ample time to alter the course of their spacecraft.
Current estimates suggest there are now up to 22,000 objects floating around in near Earth orbit, all of varying sizes and shapes, (and all catalogued in the SSN) and it has been noted that objects as small as just one centimeter are capable of inflicting a lot of damage to current, fragile satellites. If the SST performs well, it is likely the Air Force will deploy duplicate telescopes around the globe to offer a 360° view of the sky.
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Source:
[url]http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-04-darpa-unveils-telescope-satellites-space.html[/url]
Awesome.
This is really cool
I love darpa
Cool giant camera DARPA.
DARPA, we love you.
DARPA is making something normal?
What is going on?
Dangit DARPA, whats with all the new stuff?
[QUOTE=shian;29461774][quote](PhysOrg.com) --
Nine years in development, and with a price tag of $110 million, we hope it's been worth the wait.
[/quote]Source:
[url]http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-04-darpa-unveils-telescope-satellites-space.html[/url]
Awesome.[/QUOTE]
That's pretty cool, now to add huge lasers to shoot disintegrate the debris and it is COMPLETE.
Space debris? That's their excuse for a worldwide network of fast-survey telescopes designed to spot objects in Earth orbit?
Bullshit, the military just wants the means to keep an eye on what everyone else is doing in space.
[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;29464226]Space debris? That's their excuse for a worldwide network of fast-survey telescopes designed to spot objects in Earth orbit?
Bullshit, the military just wants to means to keep an eye on what everyone else is doing in space.[/QUOTE]
A ball bearing in orbit could take out a twenty million dollar satellite in an instant, so yes it is for space debris. Watching everything else is a bonus.
[I]Planetes[/I] is getting closer and closer to reality.
Hopefully this should stop a few launches form failing due to debris
[QUOTE=Saber15;29468056]A ball bearing in orbit could take out a twenty million dollar satellite in an instant, so yes it is for space debris. Watching everything else is a bonus.[/QUOTE]
To put it in perspective, a piece of debris the same mass of a US penny (2.5 grams) traveling at 8km/sec will impact a force of 80,000 joules of energy. This is about 59,005 foot-pounds.
For comparison, a .50 cal BMG will impart about 15,000 foot-pounds of energy on a target.
An apple weighing 150 grams traveling at the same speed will impart 4,800,000 joules, or roughly 3,540,298 foot-pounds of impact energy. This is a little more energy than one kilogram of TNT exploding.
Gabe Newell hitting you at that speed would be like a little over a ton of TNT.
So yeah, keeping an eye on space debris is very important.
[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;29464226]Space debris? That's their excuse for a worldwide network of fast-survey telescopes designed to spot objects in Earth orbit?
Bullshit, the military just wants the means to keep an eye on what everyone else is doing in space.[/QUOTE]
FLOURIDE IN THE TAPWATER AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
[editline]28th April 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=Master117;29483337]To put it in perspective, a piece of debris the same mass of a US penny (2.5 grams) traveling at 8km/sec will impact a force of 80,000 joules of energy. This is about 59,005 foot-pounds.
For comparison, a .50 cal BMG will impart about 15,000 foot-pounds of energy on a target.
An apple weighing 150 grams traveling at the same speed will impart 4,800,000 joules, or roughly 3,540,298 foot-pounds of impact energy. This is a little more energy than one kilogram of TNT exploding.
Gabe Newell hitting you at that speed would be like a little over a ton of TNT.
So yeah, keeping an eye on space debris is very important.[/QUOTE]
It doesn't matter all that much when they're that small, they'll often just tear holes through the satellite and leave them functional
[QUOTE=Xolo;29488672]FLOURIDE IN THE TAPWATER AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
[editline]28th April 2011[/editline]
It doesn't matter all that much when they're that small, they'll often just tear holes through the satellite and leave them functional[/QUOTE]
Except metal and silicon fracture when hit at that speed, so no they won't just keep working.
How about we do the same idea with your brain and a grain of sand with the same impact energy, let's see how tore apart your brain stem is after it.
[QUOTE=PhysOrg.com]Nine years in development[/QUOTE]
...hopefully it's been worth the weight
[img]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5636656/GabeNewell_230211.gif[/img]
....so when does it turn invisible/shoot lasers at everything?
[QUOTE=Xolo;29488672]FLOURIDE IN THE TAPWATER AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
[editline]28th April 2011[/editline]
It doesn't matter all that much when they're that small, they'll often just tear holes through the satellite and leave them functional[/QUOTE]
Metal and ceramics smash at that kind of impact, it'd cause damage comparable to a grenade going off.
[QUOTE=Nerts;29489193]Metal and ceramics smash at that kind of impact, it'd cause damage comparable to a grenade going off.[/QUOTE]
No it wouldn't
[editline]29th April 2011[/editline]
When something shatters at that the tiny pieces are still moving at such a tremendous velocity that it would take stronger things than aluminum to stop their paths
(by the way, a satellite is completely different from a human brain)
This thread is now about Gabe Newell in space.
[QUOTE=Explosions;29499821]This thread is now about Gabe Newell in space.[/QUOTE]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVogR3ojX6M[/media]
Darpa needs more funding. i wanna see more batshit awesome
nasa does too.
[QUOTE=Xolo;29499800]No it wouldn't
[editline]29th April 2011[/editline]
When something shatters at that the tiny pieces are still moving at such a tremendous velocity that it would take stronger things than aluminum to stop their paths
(by the way, a satellite is completely different from a human brain)[/QUOTE]
It will punch through the thin exterior and destroy any electronics inside. Hell, at those speeds, a penny could probably punch through over 3 inches of solid carbon steel.
Think of it this way, if you shoot your computer with a handgun, do you think it's going to stay functional?
Hell, a bullet hitting pretty much any part of the computer will render it non-functional.
In real life, there's no "re-route the main power CPU architecture scale to port 4343" mumbo-jumbo like in the movies. If a piece of critical hardware fails such as the processor (or supporting components) or power unit, etc, there is no real work around. The best case scenario in that situation would be if the thruster controls were in a separate area and had some sort of battery backup so they could just de-orbit the thing.
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